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CONTENT OF SEMINAR 2  History of breed  Interactive study of the breed standard, with breed mentors and live dogs  Hands on opportunity

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OBJECTIVES 3  To promote an understanding of history, origin, and characteristics that make up the whole dog  To understand the nuances of evaluating a dog on the stand for examination, and gaiting  To link form and function  To put knowledge into practice

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HISTORY AND ORIGIN 5 Bearded Collies were developed in Scotland as shepherds and drovers. They were called various names in the past. Now, they are affectionately known as Beardies. Little is actually known of the breed’s early history. Beardies likely came from a combination of imported European herding dogs mixed with local UK talent.

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HISTORY 6 There were originally two types of Beardies: the border type along the Scotland- England border with long coarse, slate-colored coat; and, the smaller highland type with shorter, wavy brown coat. These are blended into the modern beardie. Beardies needed to work independently of the shepherd using a ringing bark and the “huntaway style.” Harsh coats protected them from brush and weather. Agile, lithe yet strong bodies helped them maneuver and leap on the rough, rocky terrain and work efficiently and tirelessly. Beardies survived due to their value as sheepdogs and drovers. Mrs. Willison began to breed them post WW II for show purposes. A breed standard was developed which supported breeding to some consistency. Beardies were introduced to the US in 1950’s; the first litter was bred in 1967; the BCCA was founded in 1969; the breed was approved to show by the AKC in 1974 and became eligible for the Working Group in The current standard was approved in AKC Bearded Collie Breed Standard

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7 These are typical of early Bearded Collies; lean but strong, agile and lithe herding dogs. The broad, flat skull, long muzzle, and soulful expression were evident. The harsh texture coat was also present. Coat length is the major change with today’s Beardies.

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ANATOMICAL POINTS IN THE STANDARD Anatomical Points Referenced in the Breed Standard

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CHARACTERISTICS 9 The Bearded Collie is hardy and active, with an aura of strength and agility characteristic of a real working dog. Bred as a companion and servant of man, the Bearded Collie is a devoted and intelligent member of the family. He is stable and self- confident, showing no signs of shyness or aggression. This is a natural and unspoiled breed. This is one of the best illustrations we have. Fix this picture of the Bearded Collie in your mind. When you are judging, this is what you should be looking for.

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GENERAL APPEARANCE 10 The Bearded Collie is a medium sized dog with a medium length coat that follows the lines of the body and allows plenty of daylight under the body. The body is long and lean, strongly made and does not appear heavy. A bright inquiring expression is a distinctive feature of the breed. The Bearded Collie should be shown in a natural stance.

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HEAD 12  The head is in proportion to the size of the dog. The skull is broad and flat; the stop is moderate; the checks are well filled beneath the eyes; the muzzle is strong and full; the foreface is equal in length to the distance between the stop and the occiput. The nose is large and squarish. A snipy muzzle is to be penalized. MuzzleStopBackskull Occiput * The head should be strong, in proportion to the muzzle, and to the INDIVIDUAL dog/bitch. It forms a smooth, blunt wedge, being slightly wider at the back, than at the front, tapering to the muzzle. * A flat backskull and a flat muzzle joined by a sloping stop will be approximately parallel, though there may be some slight downturn.

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13 * The backskull is about the breadth of an average-sized hand, allowing for difference in size of dog or bitch. * When encircling the muzzle with your hand, the thumb and forefinger should not meet.

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14 Which head is correct?

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15 WHICH HEAD IS IN CORRECT PROPORTION TO THE BODY?

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EYES 16 Which is correct? The eyes are large, expressive, soft and affectionate, but not round nor protruding, and are set widely apart. The eyebrows are arched to the sides to frame the eyes and are long enough to blend smoothly into the coat on the sides of the head.

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EARS 17 Which of the ear sets are correct? (Hint: two are correct) The ears are medium-sized, hanging and covered with long hair. They are set level with the eyes. When a dog is alert, the ears have a slight lift at the base.

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20 TEETH * Lack of teeth (such as premolars and molars) from the time of adult teeth eruption, leads to short and/or weak muzzles. * However, broken or missing teeth on a working dog are not unusual and should not be faulted. The teeth are strong and white, meeting in a scissors bite. Full dentition is desirable.

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NECK 21 The neck is in proportion to the length of the body, strong and slightly arched, blending smoothly into the shoulders.

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FOREQUARTERS 45 degrees 90 degrees The tops of the shoulder blades lie in against the withers, but they slope outwards from there sufficiently to accommodate the desired spring of ribs. The legs are straight and vertical, with substantial, but not heavy, bone and are covered with shaggy hair all around. The pasterns are flexible without weakness. The shoulders are well laid back at an angle of approximately 45 degrees; a line drawn from the highest point of the shoulder blade to the forward point of articulation approximates a right angle with a line from the forward point of articulation to the point of the elbow.

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FORECHEST * The standard is silent on the ideal regarding forechest. Beardies are lean bodied dogs, but require some forechest or prosternum to adequately support the front carriage, shoulder and ribcage. 24 * The forechest/prosternum is found by sliding your hand down the shoulder blade to the joint with upper arm and moving to the center of the upper chest of the dog. Some protrusion should be felt. Males usually have more forechest than bitches. * While the chest is growing, (between 9 months and 2-3 years), the forechest may seemingly disappear and then redevelop.

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25 BODY The body is longer than high in a ratio of 5:4, length from point of chest to point of buttocks, height at the highest point of the withers. The length of back comes from the length of the ribcage not loin. The back is level. The ribs are well sprung from the spine but are flat at the sides. The chest is deep, reaching at least to the elbows. The loins are strong. The level back line blends smoothly into the curve of the rump. A flat or steep croup is to be severely penalized. * With the exception of the Corgis, the Beardie is the LONGEST-BODIED of the herding breeds, with 5:4 proportion, length to height. A Beardie should be rectangular, NEVER square or cobby. Beardies that are too short on leg may give the illusion of proper proportion.

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26 SIZE * The Beardie is a medium-sized dog, and the depth of chest should reach the elbows, with approximately 50 percent of the dog above the elbows and 50 percent below. The ideal height at the withers is 21-22” for dogs and 20-21” for bitches. Height over and under the ideal is to be severely penalized. The objective is to insure that the Beardie remains a medium sized dog.

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27 Which dog has short legs? Which dog is too square and cobby?. Short legs Too square & cobby

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LOIN AND CROUP 28 * This illustrates a correct length of loin and the correct angle of croup for a Beardie. Which croup is too flat? Which croup is too steep? 30 degrees Too flat Too steep

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HINDQUARTERS degrees The hind legs are powerful and muscular at the thighs with well bent stifles. The hocks are low. In normal stance, the bones below the hock are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other when viewed from the rear; the rear feet fall behind a perpendicular line from the point of the buttocks when viewed from the side. The legs are covered with shaggy hair all around. This illustration shows the correct angles in an ideal Beardie’s hindquarters.

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30 90 degrees * Angulation of the hindquarters, ideally, is equal to that of the shoulders, requiring length of stifle. The Beardie should be well- muscled, which can be checked with a quick feel of the thigh. This illustration shows the correct angles of an ideal Beardie’s hindquarters ↑ This is a “sickle hock” and is incorrect.

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31. Which rear is correct?

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FEET The feet are oval in shape with the soles well padded. The toes are arched and close together, and well covered with hair including between the pads.

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TAIL 33 The tail is set low and is long enough for the end of the bone to reach at least the point of the hocks. It is normally carried low with an upward swirl at the tip while the dog is standing. When the dog is excited or in motion, the curve is accentuated and the tail may be raised but is never carried beyond the vertical line. The tail is covered with abundant hair. Which tail set and carriage is correct?

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34 This dog is tracking. The tail set is correct with an up swirl because he is working, but is not carried beyond the vertical. This dog is in a working trot with the head level. The tail set and tail carriage are correct.

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35 This dog has a high tail set and is carrying his tail beyond the vertical line, also known as a “gay” tail. The dog is also kicking up.

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COAT 36 The coat is double with the undercoat soft, furry and close. The outer coat is flat, harsh, strong and shaggy, free from wooliness and curl, although a slight wave is permissible. The coat falls naturally to either side but must never be artificially parted. The length and density of the hair are sufficient to provide a protective coat and to enhance the shape of the dog, but not so profuse as to obscure the natural lines of the body. The dog should be shown as naturally as is consistent with good grooming but the coat must not be trimmed in any way.

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37 On the head, the bridge of the nose is sparsely covered with hair which is slightly longer on the sides to cover the lips. From the cheeks, the lower lips, and under the chin the coat increases in length towards the chest, forming the typical beard. An excessively long, silky coat or one which has been trimmed in any way must be severely penalized. Daylight should be visible under the dog. The coat should follow the natural outline of the body. Most coats are relatively straight.

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39 * Even pups have the trademark beard. The hair on the back may part naturally, but should not be knitting-needle perfect. * Teenage coat may be skimpy in length, with the variety of shades of color, from very pale to very dark. Puppies can lose coat from front to back or from the part downward, or front and back to meet in the middle! Either way, adult coat often starts at the shoulders, and this is usually where texture is best felt. A dog may be three or older before the adult coat is fully developed. * This is an 18-month-old “teenager.” Note the multi-toned, skimpy coat. * The 9-month-olds short, dark coat is soft enough to flop into his eyes.

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EXAMPLES OF PUPPY COAT 40

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TEENAGE COAT 41 Skimpy coat underneath. Adult coat coming in on shoulders; puppy coat on the rear. Notice the adult coat is harsh and straight; the puppy coat fluffier and slightly wavy. This teenager is changing coat from the top down. Note the lighter, coarser coat along the entire topline to mid- body and the darker, fluffier coat from there down.

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WHAT’S UNDER THE COAT 42 This is what you should find underneath the coat!

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COAT AND TRIMMING 43 * This adult Beardie has been trimmed and sculpted and should be penalized for this serious fault. The dog is trimmed with straight lines of the beard, ears, and underbelly rather than the coat following the natural outline of the body. The chest and feet are also trimmed.

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44 It is a generally accepted practice for feet to be “neatened” or subtly trimmed to prevent them from taking on a snowshoe or Clydesdale appearance. Excessively trimmed mustache, beard, ears and underbelly; sculpted chest and shoulder area; and, trimmed feet and hocks. An excessively long, silky coat is to be penalized. Here is an example of an excessively long, but not necessarily silky, coat.

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GAIT 45 Movement is free, supple and powerful. Balance combines good reach in forequarters with strong drive in hindquarters. The back remains firm and level. The feet are lifted only enough to clear the ground, giving the impression that the dog glides along making minimum contact.

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46 Movement is lithe and flexible to enable the dog to make the sharp turns and sudden stops required of the sheepdog. When viewed from the front and rear, the front and rear legs travel in the same plane from the should and hip joint to pads at all speeds. Legs remain straight, but feet move inward as speed increases until the edges of the feet converge on a center line at a fast trot.

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47 Blue bitch with front leg reaching under the nose and back foot barely leaving the ground. Movement appears effortless; tail is raised but not beyond vertical.

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51 Note the front foot is on the ground and the rear foot is off the ground. The dog is not balanced. There is more angulation in the rear than the front; more drive than reach.

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52 Other common gait problems:  The rear over-driving leading to the back foot crossing the front (from side view) due to over-angulation in the rear.  Hackney motion in front due to straight shoulders and short upper arms.

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53 * Beardies single track as they increase speed. Note: many Beardies, being lean dogs, tend to move closely in the rear. This is not the same as being cow hocked and should not be faulted. * This front is correct for a lean-bodied dog like a Bearded Collie. * This Beardie rear, though close, is correctly parallel and should not be faulted.

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54.. Which front movement is correct? Which rear movement is correct?

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COAT COLOR Adults in all four colors: fawn, blue, brown, and black/slate.

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All Bearded Collies are born either black, blue, brown or fawn, with or without white markings. With maturity, the coat color may lighten, so that a born black may become any shade of gray from black to slate to silver, a born brown from chocolate to sandy. Blues and fawns also show shades from dark to light. Where white occurs, it only appears on the foreface, as a blaze on the skull, on the tip of the tail, on the chest, legs and feet and around the neck. The white hair does not grow on the body behind the shoulder nor on the face to surround the eyes. Tan markings occasionally appear and are acceptable on the eyebrows, inside the ears, on the cheeks, under the root of the tail, and on the legs where the white joins the main color.

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PIGMENTATION PIGMENTATION: Pigmentation on the Bearded Collie follows coat color. In a born black, the eye rims, nose and lips are black, whereas in the born blue, the pigmentation is a blue-gray color. A born brown dog has brown pigmentation and born fawns a correspondingly light brown. The pigmentation is completely filled in and shows no sign of spots. * Pigmentation in blues is lighter and duller than blacks. Even blacks that fade to slate have darker pigmentation than the dilute blue. The same is true of fawns and browns; however, the differentiation may not be as distinct or obvious. Skin pigment on the muzzle is usually pink and may be spotted – perfectly acceptable. 57

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EYE COLOR EYES: Eye color will generally tone with the coat color. In a born blue or fawn, the distinctively lighter eyes are correct and must not be penalized. * The phrase “Eye color will generally tone with the coat color” can be difficult to interpret. Blues generally have blue- or blue-gray eyes, but they sometimes have a lighter shade of brown. The lighter the coat, the lighter the shade of the eyes, with amber (never yellow), as the lightest color. It is no more correct for a fawn to have dark brown eyes than for a coal black to have amber eyes. There should be no jarring difference between coat, eyes, and pigmentation. 58

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BLACK 59 The majority of Beardies are born black. This is a born black dog with coat in transition. However, the pigment remains black. The eye in a black will vary from brown to dark brown depending on how dark the coat is. Eyes on a dog may appear to lighten and darken as the coat transitions.

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BLACK/SLATE MALE AND FEMALE 60

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BLACK TRANSITION, 3 – 16 MONTHS 61

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STAY BLACK 62 This is an example of a “stay black” or a born black dog without fading or greying gene/factor. The coat stays very black, close to the born color. Coats of stay blacks tend to be soft and voluminous.

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BLUE 63 A blue dog (dilute gene to black) with gray color around the eyes, gray to dark gray nose, and eyes of a blue-gray color that tone to coat. The muzzle on this dog is primarily pink with a gray freckle. This blue female has solid gray pigment and a light brown eye, which is acceptable.

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DOGS REPRESENTING BROWN TRANSITION 68 All these dogs are brown and represent the coat transition phases of a brown – from dark brown as young puppy, to very light cream (with ear tips still brown) between months, to a return to a rich brown between years of age.

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FAWN TRANSITION 70 These dogs represent the coat transition of a fawn – from taupe/grayish brown as a puppy to light cream as an adolescent, to a champagne color. Most fawns do not return to their puppy color.

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COLOR DIFFERENTIATION 71 Which is which? The fawn is on the left, the brown on the right. However, at times a fawn may be darker than a born brown.

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TRI-MARKINGS 72 Two puppies with tri markings – eyebrows, front legs, hocks, under the tail. Tri-markings usually appear between weeks, and can be present on any color dog, but usually are only visible on blacks and browns.

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MINIMAL MARKINGS 73 These dogs have minimal markings, white occurring to a lesser degree. Flashy markings should not be given preference over a plainer dog.

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WALL-EYE OR CHINA EYE 74 A light or clear blue eye is referred to as china eye. A wall-eye is one light blue and one brown eye; both types of eye colorings are faults.

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EVALUATING FAULTS 76 Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in proportion to its degree.

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SERIOUS FAULTS The standard specifies no disqualifications but notes serious faults, including:  Snipey muzzle  Flat croup or steep  Excessively long, silky coat  Trimmed or sculptured coat  Height over or under the ideal Most Beardie breeder judges agree that faults of structure should be considered most serious. Faults which could interfere with performing the breed’s historical function as herding dogs (height over or under the ideal and excessively long, silky coat) would be considered next. Cosmetic alterations (trimmed or sculptured coat) are not genetic. They change the breed’s “natural and unspoiled appearance,” which is the essence of the Beardie’s type. 77

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WHEN EVALUATING A DOG  Focus on the whole dog. The Beardie is greater than the sum of his parts. Think about structure, movement, temperament and character reflected through expression and behavior.  Look for proportions and balance: - Medium-sized - Length to height - 5 to 4 with 2/3 of the length through the rib - Height - approximately 50% of the height above the elbows, 50% below; - Angles - angulation of the shoulders and angulation of the hindquarters ideally should be equal. - Gait – reach in the forequarters and drive in the hindquarters should be equal, balanced, and effortless with a strong, level topline.  Look to see the dog can do the work for which Beardies were bred. Does the dog have breed type? Is it hardy and strong, yet agile? 78

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HARDY 80 Beardies, as herders, needed to be hardy and have endurance to work long days and distances – requiring deep lung capacity and an efficient gait, known as the working trot. In a working trot, a Beardie usually has its head level and uses less reach and drive than seen with the floating trot in conformation. The working trot has the same requirements – balance and correct proportions.

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AGILE 81 The Beardie is lean and agile to scale tall buildings in a single bound! Not really…but they had to leap and make quick turns to head off stock. Proper shoulder formation, musculature and ligaments make these leaps and turns possible. The Beardie’s size and length, with length from rib not loin, also support quick mid-air turns and a firm, level back to support long jumps.

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BRIGHT, INTELLIGENT 82 Beardies need sufficient backskull to hold a brain. They need intelligence and problem-solving abilities to work stock. They need self-assurance, confidence, and courage to face down difficult stock, yet must be biddable, to take direction, and work in partnership with their handler as a team.

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LITHE WITH BOUNCE ON HOME TERRAIN Copyright: Sue Courtenay-Blake, Dogs at St. Andrews, Scotland,

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“He is hardy and active, with an aura of strength and agility characteristic of a real working dog. Bred for centuries as a companion and servant of man, the Bearded Collie is a devoted and intelligent member of the family. He is stable and self-confident, showing no signs of shyness and aggression. This is a natural and unspoiled breed.” 84

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THANK YOU! If you have further questions or comments, please contact the mentors providing today’s presentation. The list of BCCA Mentors can be found at: and further resources can be found on the BCCA’s website: 85